Chapter Four
Four hours later, Nikki started her shift at The Bear Claw Tavern. It was a dive in every sense of the word, but the patrons were generous and the management had a no-hassling the staff policy that she was all about. Sarah was back at home with her regular babysitter. Nikki hated leaving her sister at night like this, but she made the best money in tips during the evening shift and the bills had to be paid. Sometimes it sucked being a responsible adult, but she would do anything for her baby sister.
Nikki was wiping down the counter with a cloth when she heard the door open. A burst of fresh air entered along with the scent of her mate. Oh God, he was here. How was she going to do this? Nikki was almost afraid to look up as she felt him approach. Something told her that seeing his face was going to make this ten times harder. She didn’t have a choice though. Sarah had no one else left in this world to take care of her. Nikki just had to pull up her big girl panties and stay strong.
“Are you going to look at me, or are you going to avoid me all night, mate?” His voice was growly and it made her lady bits tingle in response. Which sort of pissed her off because, dammit, her lady bits needed to get on with the no mate plan!
Lifting her head, she stifled the response to suck in a breath of awe when she finally got to see Santa’s face. Now that it wasn't hidden behind that ridiculous beard, she could see his strong square jaw and aquiline nose. His hair was longer than she’d expected, dark brown and with just a hint of curl. Gorgeous amber-brown eyes stared at her with determination and more than a little heat. At the sight of him, Nikki felt her mouth go dry and words were lost to her. Almost against her will, she let her eyes look lower, taking in the sculpted lips that on another man might have looked feminine. On him, they just looked like sin. Lower still, she saw broad shoulders and washboard abs that even his clothing couldn’t fully disguise. Frayed and worn jeans encased long, muscular legs and a bulge at his crotch that she wouldn’t even let herself think about.
She allowed her gaze to travel back up to his face and she dreaded what she would see there. Shifters were never lacking in confidence and her blatant appraisal of him would have sent his ego into overdrive. A small smirk tipped the side of his mouth as he stared back at her. Which only pissed Nikki off. It was also a reminder of what she needed to do.
Planting both hands on the bar top, she looked him square in the eye. “Look, don’t take this personally, but I don’t have time for a mate right now. I’m raising my sister and she needs all of my time and concentration.”
The gorgeous Santa growled under his breath but Nikki ignored it and just kept going. “Don’t take it personally okay?” Sighing in defeat as she took in his steely determination, Nikki added, “Sarah needs stability right now and I can’t give that to her if I’m spending all my time with my mate.”
Seemingly undeterred, her mate placed both of his hands on the bar top and leaned toward her. “So your mind’s made up. You’re just going to throw us away without even hearing what I have to say first? Without getting to know me at all? That’s an awfully lonely plan.”
Frustrated, Nikki found herself growling. “Look, buddy, you have no idea what my life is like right now.”
He shook his head. “That’s where you’re wrong. I do have a bit of an idea of what your life’s like.”
“How do you figure that?” Nikki snapped back.
He leaned in until their faces were only an inch or so apart, then whispered, “Because your sister asked me if Santa could tell her parents Merry Christmas in Heaven. It’s the same thing I would have wished for when I was a kid. You’re not the only ones who are suffering that loss. Which is something you could have found out if you would just take the chance to get to know me.”
Taken aback, at a total loss for words, Nikki put some space between them and took a deep breath. Staring into his deep-amber depths, she thought of the implications of his statement. He had lost his parents too when he was a kid? That familiar sense of loss spread through her and Nikki couldn’t help but feel bad for the man who stood before her. In spite of her determination to keep him out of her life, she couldn’t help but feel some kinship between them now. No one understood what it was like to lose a parent until they had done so themselves. To know that he had also felt that loss had her softening toward him a bit.
Hardening her heart, she said, “I’m sorry for that but it doesn’t change my mind. She’s just a baby and she needs me. Her needs top your wants—and mine—every single time.”
A slow and infuriatingly smug grin spread over his face. “So you do want me, then?”
She rolled her eyes. “You shouldn’t take that personally either. That’s just biology.”
“Oh, it’s personal, sweetheart… You damn well better believe it. And it’s going to get a lot more personal real soon.”
Nikki shook her head in dismay. “You don’t listen real well, do you?”
Joe gestured to the pool tables in the back of the bar. “Do you play?”
“Do I breathe?” Nikki fired back.
He smirked. “One game. You win and I’m gone… I win and you have to go on a date with me.”
“Are you going to pay the babysitter for that night?” she demanded.
“If I win,” he offered, “we’ll go on a date where your sister can go with us… Something fun and family-oriented since I’m trying to show you that I can be your mate. That means we have to make our lives fit together and not just our bodies, right?”
“One game,” she agreed. Nikki didn’t have any question about her skill. She’d been playing pool since she was big enough to see over the top of the table. Whatever advantage he thought he had, he was wrong. Besides, she was going to enjoy seeing the look of defeat on his face. “And then I can admire how perfectly shaped your ass is as you walk away… Forever.”